Pacific Green Creates Sustainably Harvested Palmwood Furniture

Pacific Green is a sustainable furniture manufacturer located in Fiji that exclusively uses sustainable harvested palmwood to create gorgeous contemporary pieces. Inspired by the South Pacific islands, the growing island furniture maker has developed a process able to take the wood from the coconut tree and handcraft the material into chairs, tables, couches, lamps, building materials, flooring and more. All of the wood is sustainably harvested from senile coconut plantations, and the company pays fair wage to the landowners who provide the wood.

The coconut palm tree, considered the “Tree of Life” – because it provides, food, shelter, building materials, medicine and more – is central to the way of life for many cultures. In the early 1900s, coconut trees were planted by the thousands to produce copra, the fruit of the coconut palm, something that can be eaten or processed into coconut oil and more. However, over a hundred years since its last inception, many of these trees no longer produce anymore fruit, but are still taking up valuable space that could otherwise be used to grow other crops or be returned to native jungle.

In recent years palmwood has been found to create durable and long lasting wood products, and Pacific Green has come up with a way to process the trees into a wood product that’s suitable for both wet and dry environments and impervious to insects. The company also employs local Fijians in its manufacturing facility in Sigatoka on the main island of Fiji, Viti Levu. Local villagers are learning the craft of furniture making using traditional handcrafting methods.

The wood is bought nearby from senile palm tree plantations at fair prices, giving villages what they need to replant the land with cash crops or more trees. No chemicals or toxins are used to process the wood, and the furniture is finished with natural oils and even the leftover sawdust is used as an agricultural fertilizer. The styles and designs for Pacific Green’s furniture and accessories have been inspired by native cultures around the world, in particular those that make up the South Pacific.